VIEWPOINT
AMITABH SHUKLA
Even as elections 2014 proved to
be a Tsunami for Narendra Modi-led BJP, its aftermath also swept away several
veterans of the party who are now fighting for their political survival. While
some are struggling to keep their political honour intact, others are fighting
for their mere survival in the new power reality which envelopes Raisina Hills.
On top of this list is
undoubtedly the perpetual rath Yatri, the most popular face of the Ram
Janambhoomi movement whom many consider as the architect of resurgent BJP—LK
Advani. He was the prime ministerial candidate of BJP in 2009 versus Manmohan
Singh of Congress and lost the race rather badly. Even a non-performing sitting
Prime Minister whom many considered merely as a rubber stamp, managed to score
brownie political points against him and BJP had to sit out in the Opposition
for a decade. Given his seniority and standing, obviously there is no position
in the new power structure under Narendra Modi.
Advani, 86, could have nursed
ambition of being the NDA Chairman in Modi regime to keep his political ego
intact and to give the impression that he has some say in the new dispensation.
This is largely a position for an elder statesman which he held before Modi
became the Prime Minister. But in the new set-up, Advani is perhaps not needed
even in this position so his existing nameplate in Parliament House was
removed. There is no working NDA Chairman now and there is little possibility
of the position being revived. Modi will be the de facto Chairman and will
perhaps seek the help of parties like AIADMK, Trinamool and Biju Janata Dal to
tide over important Bills in Rajya Sabha. As Advani played truant when the
process was on to make Modi the prime ministerial candidate of the party, he is
facing the music and the decision has complete backing of the Sangh which wants
his political retirement.
Also, with Advani out of
reckoning, there is little possibility now of disgruntled BJP elements rallying
around him. As Pranab Mukherjee will be the President for another three years
and retires only in 2017, Advani will have to wait till then. In politics,
three years is a long time and the permutations and combinations could well
change by then. Many in the RSS and BJP want Advani in a new role now, that of
an elder statesman and a political guru who is there to bless the younger
generation and not stake a claim to a position of power.
Murli Manohar Joshi too is out of
favour as of now. The MP from Kanpur
could well be a Governor of some state in the near future but there is little
possibility of him occupying a position in the government. He expressed his
unhappiness when shifted from Benares to Kanpur
and perhaps this has not gone down well in the party when Modi was creating
waves and was the architect of the historic mandate which the party got. At 80,
age is also not on the side of the former BJP President, who remained the HRD
minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and credited for following the
Sangh agenda of changing NCERT text books.
Then, there is Yashwant Sinha,
the former IAS officer, who finds no place anywhere in the BJP scheme of things
as of now. At 76, he too has crossed the age barrier of 75, which Modi
apparently fixed as ceiling for Cabinet appointment. In any case, he did not contest
the polls and was not a contender for a position. Ironically, he is now cooling
his heels in a Hazaribagh Jail in Jharkhand as he refused to furnish a bail
bond after being arrested for protesting against power shortage in the state.
Some in the party see this as a move to emerge as a chief ministerial candidate
of BJP in Jharkhand which is expected to go to polls by the end of this year.
He lobbied for a ticket for his son Jayant from Hazaribagh, a constituency he
represented on several occasions and now suddenly finds himself out of
reckoning in the party. A former Finance Minister, Sinha nursing an ambition
for state politics could be fallout of the new power structure in New
Delhi . But the problem for him is the fact that there
has been no non-tribal chief minister in Jharkhand ever since the state came
into being in the year 2000 and there is little chance he would be projected as
one now.
In Jharkhand, BJP has another
veteran, MP for several terms, minister in Janata Party and Vajpayee governments
and Deputy Speaker in the last Lok Sabha—Karia Munda. The simple tribal leader
from Khunti was instrumental in strengthening BJP over the years in the region.
But again, his age went against him. At 78, he is not getting any younger and
could get a gubernatorial assignment if he agrees.
Shanta Kumar’s case in Himachal
Pradesh is no different. Though the BJP veteran in the hill state came out of
political retirement, rejuvenated the party and won from Kangra, he too was not
considered for the Modi Cabinet due to age factor. His age (79) went against
him even though he is considered a good administrator and has been a Union
Minister and Himachal Chief Minister.
For another veteran and former
External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, 2014 could well prove to be the end of
his political career. Denied party ticket, he contested as an Independent
against the BJP candidate and lost from Barmer in Rajasthan. At 76, he faced
the ignominy of being expelled for the second time from BJP in five years. He
was BJP MP from Darjeeling in the
last Lok Sabha and wanted to contest from his home state, a request turned
down. After his defeat, Modi has apparently reached out to him and he could
well be rehabilitated but clearly his days of glory are behind him.
Leave aside the Cabinet, none of
the 75 plus leaders is being considered even for BJP President’s post which has
to be filled soon. Someone from Gen next of BJP is expected to become the new
BJP President and take over from Home Minister Rajnath Singh who is holding
dual charge. No one in BJP wants to take a step back and have Advani or Joshi
as its chief. It seems 75 is now the retirement age in the new government. You
can contest an election, become an MP of BJP but cannot aspire for a
ministerial berth if you cross this age. Well, if a government servant can
retire at 60 why not the ministers at 75?
But there are many other leaders
who are practically lined up to be rehabilitated in Constitutional positions
due to their long association with the RSS, Jan Sangh or the BJP. Veteran of
many a battle in Uttar Pradesh, Kalyan Singh, VK Malhotra from Delhi, former
Lucknow MP Lalji Tandon, senior party leader from Madhya Pradesh Kailash Joshi
and former Speaker of UP Kesari Nath Tripathi did not play any role in the 2014
Lok Sabha polls. Being old party loyalists, they could well be Governors as and
when the Modi government takes a call on the issue and removes the political
appointees of the UPA regime.
So far, the message is loud and
clear. Grey is out of favour as a generational change has taken place in BJP
politics and this practice is here to stay for a long time. (June 16, 2014)
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